/ 


>WU\N\OJ^VOX 


"HSR   LIBRARY 


COPYRIGHT    1922 
By  COLEMAN   COX.   SAN   FRANCISCO 

"  Reproduction  of  parts  of  this  book  without 
permission  is  prohibited 


li&en 
to 

this 


PUBLISHED    BY 

COLEMAN    COX   PUBLISHING   CO. 

MONADNOCK   BUILDING 

SAN  FRANCISCO 

EASTERN    REPRESENTATIVES 

BERMEL  -  HVNDRY  CO. 

30  EAST  HZlp^STREET 

NEW    YORK    CITY 


li&en  to 


I  HAVE  about  a  hundred  thousand  reasons  for 
printing  this  book,  every  reason  being  an  order 
for  a  copy. 

Many  of  those  who  bought  copies  of  my  first  book, 
"Take  It  From  Me,"  by  hundreds  and  thousands  to 
give  to  their  employees,  customers  or  personal  friends, 
have  written  me  to  duplicate  their  orders  should  I 
print  another  book  of  a  like  character. 

For  this  expression  of  appreciation  I  am  very 
grateful,  and  I  sincerely  hope  the  millions  who  have 
in  the  short  period  of  ten  months  read  "Take  It  From 
Me"  will  be  pleased  with  "Listen  to  This." 


First  Edition 
October,   1922, 
150,000  copies. 


i 


These  little  Truths  may  remind  you 

of  some  of  your  friends — 
Likewise,  remind  them  of  you 

am  a  great  believer  in  luck.    The  harder  I  work,  the 
more  of  it  I  seem  to  have. 


The  best  way  to  sell  yourself  to  the  boss  is  by  selling 
that  which  he  has  to  sell  to  someone  else. 

I  never  had  a  man  whisper  anything  to  me  that  was 
worth  listening  to. 

«•** 

As  soon  as  salaried  people  find  out  they  can't  live 
Pierce  Arrow  lives  on  "Tin  Lizzy"  salaries,  "times" 
and  "conditions"  will  be  all  right. 

*#* 

Self  starters  are  about  the  only  automobiles  that  are 
in  demand.  Same  may  be  said  about  employees. 

The  fellow  who  tries  to  beat  a  railroad  train  over  a 
crossing  gets  where  he  is  going  some  years  ahead  of  the 
rest  of  us,  but  I  am  not  in  any  such  hurry  to  "get  where 
I  am  going." 

*** 

If  you  happen  to  know  of  a  fellow  who  is  waiting  for 
an  opportunity  you  can  tell  him  he  need  not  wait  any 
longer — another  fellow  went  after  it  and  grabbed  it. 

fvni 


listen  to 


Keeping  busy  at  the  right  thing  keeps  you  from 
doing  the  wrong  thing. 

Don't  tell  people  your  troubles.  L's-fire,  they've  got 
plenty  of  their  own. 

I  always  feel  like  shooting  the  after-dinner  speaker 
who  gets  up  and  starts  reading  a  speech.  If  he  can't 
remember  it,  how  can  he  expect  others  to  do  so?  If  no 
one  can  remember  the  fool  thing,  what's  the  use  of 
bothering  with  it? 

*** 

Say  it  with  kindness  while  he  is  living.  Don't  wait 
to  "say  it  with  flowers"  after  he's  dead. 

*** 

Do  your  personal  friends  ever  call  you  over  the  'phone 
during  business  hours,  right  when  you  are  the  busiest, 
and  talk  'n,  talk  'n  talk  about  nothing?  So  do  mine. 
'N  I  wish  mine  in  the  same  place  you  wish  yours. 

*** 

A  cat  will  lie  before  a  fire — men  afterwards. 

Be  sure  you  know  what  you  are  talking  about. 
You  know,  I  have  always  felt  every  minister  should 
have  been  a  dawgone  good  sinner  for  at  least  ten  years 
before  starting  out  to  preach  against  sin. 

•*«  •*«  •** 

There  is  a  difference  between  boasting  and  boosting. 
One  is  personal. 

[VIII] 


li&cn  to  thi 


Telegraph  and  taxi  companies  have  the  right  idea. 
They  do  not  wait  for  business  to  come  to  them — they 

go  after  it. 

*•:•* 

"I'll  tell  the  world"  is  a  conversational  filler  used  now- 
a-days  by  fellows  who  can't  tell  anybody  anything. 

*** 

Golf  clubs  are  all  right  if  you  can  use  them.    Some 
people  think  the  same  thing  about  friends. 

*** 

Constructive  thinking  and  worthwhile  suggestions 
will  get  you  further  than  "Yesing"  and  "playing  up"  to 

the  boss. 

+** 

Have  your  boss  swear  by  you — not  at  you. 

*<••:• 

Some  men  never  hit  the  mark  because  they  never 
pull  the  trigger. 


Make  up  your  mind  to  beat  it,  or  "beat  it. 


Look  trouble  in  the  face  and  laugh  at  it.  —  P.  S.  For- 
get this  advice  in  case  your  wife  or  boss  happens  to  be 

your  trouble. 

*** 

Many  a  man  you  meet  on  the  street  who  says,  "I'm 

going  to  work"  —  lies. 

**+ 

You  can  guess  pretty  close  to  what  is  in  a  man's 
head  by  the  clothes  he  has  on  his  back. 

[K] 


T 


listen  to  this. 


**^ 

he  best  way  to  get  to  the  top  is  to  push  the 
other  fellow  up  ahead,  and  he  will  help  you  stay 
there. 


Never  greet  a  friend  with  "How  are  you  this  morn- 
ing?" Nine  men  out  of  ten  look  upon  such  a  greeting 
as  a  request  for  a  recital  of  troubles  and  immediately 
proceed  to  unload  them. 

#*«  ***  »*• 

When  the  average  man  dies,  he  leaves  his  wealth  to 
his  relatives  and  his  troubles  to  his  friends.  That  is  to 
say,  he  names  his  best  business  friends  as  executors  of 
his  estate. 

He  "wishes"  trouble  aplenty  on  men  he  would  in  life 
not  have  asked  for  two  hours'  time. 

It's  all  wrong.  There  are  plenty  of  Trust  Companies 
whose  business  it  is  to  handle  these  matters. 


Suppose  you  were  your  employer,  would  you  keep  a 
man  on  the  payroll  at  the  salary  you  are  getting  for 
the  work  you  are  doing? 

Looking  for  faults,  like  charity,  should  begin  at  home. 

*** 

Loud  dress  and  loud  talk  have  caused  many  a  sales- 
man's solicitation  to  go  unheard. 

You  are  going  to  get  what's  coming  to  you.  Doctors 
may  delay  it,  and  ministers  may  soothe  you,  but  you 
can't  escape  it. 

[X] 


to  this. 


More  than  thirty  years  ago,  I  heard  Col.  P.  Watt 
Hardin  say  in  a  political  speech  down  in  Ken- 
tucky, "I'm  for  my  country  against  any  coun- 
try, my  state   against   any  state  in  my  country,  my 
county  against  any  county  in  my  state,   my  town 
against  any  other  town  in  my  county,  my  street  against 
any  other  street  in  my  town,  and  for  my  side  of  the 
street  against  the  other  side."    If  you  don't  feel  just 
that  way  about  the  firm  you  are  with — get  out. 

•>*•> 

When  two  men  form  a  partnership  just  because  of 
personal  friendship  or  some  relationship,  one  or  the 
other  soon  feels  he  is  bearing  all  the  hardship  and  the 
business  soon  goes  into  the  hands  of  a  receivership. 

•!••>•!• 

We  can't  have  an  ideal  national  life  unless  we  as  in- 
dividuals have  less  high  life  and  more  home  life. 


When  I  meet  a  man  with  a  given  name  that  would 
be  more  appropriate  for  a  Pullman  car  than  a  real 
human  being,  I  can  easily  guess  who  had  the  say  at  his 
home  about  the  time  he  was  born. 


A  common  expression  among  salesmen  these  days  is 
"I'm  in  the  real  estate,  advertising  or  life  insurance 
game."  Since  "Game"  suggests  "gamble"  or  "chance" 
and  it  is  not  every  man  who  likes  to  look  upon  his  in- 
surance policy  or  real  estate  buy  as  being  a  "chance," 
I  don't  know  but  what  it  might  be  just  as  well  to  use 
the  word  "business,"  instead  of  "game." 

[XII 


I 


to 


could  never  see  the  sense  of  some  concerns  paying 
out  good  money  in  salaries  to  high  class  men  when 
the  only  set  of  brains  used  are  those  of  the  boss. 


Your  tomorrow  is  going  to  be  what  your  today  makes 

it. 

•:••>•> 

Daniel  Boone  made  his  way  through  Kentucky  when 
it  was  a  wilderness.  Clark  drove  an  ox  team  to  the 
Pacific  and  Perry  reached  the  North  Pole  without  the 
aid  of  road  maps  or  signboards,  but  when  you  start 
some  salesmen  out  after  business,  they  want  to  know 
the  name  and  address  of  the  prospect,  man  to  see,  how 
to  get  in  to  see  him,  what  to  say  and  how  to  say  it. 
Then  all  they  bring  back  is  a  "not  interested"  report. 

*** 

For  your  own  good,  get  it  out  of  your  fool  head  this 
world  owes  you  a  living. 


If  you  want  to  know  how  many  pretty  women  there 
are  in  your  town,  ask  the  ice  man. 

Before  you  have  a  car  of  your  own  you  wonder  why 
your  friends  don't  come  around  and  take  you  for  a  ride. 
When  you  get  a  car,  your  friends  think  the  same  thing 

about  you. 

*** 

Every  employer  is  looking  for  men  who  see  how  a 
thing  can  be  done  and  then  do  it. 

[XH] 


to 

About  the  best  women  workers  around  any  place  of 
business  are  those  you  would  think  the  wife  of  the  boss 
employed. 

*** 

A  Sales  Manager  was  saying  to  me  it  was  next  to 
impossible  to  tell  a  salesman.  Your  durn  tooten  it  is. 
Can't  tell  some  of  them  anything. 

*** 

Another  thing  I  thank  the  good  Lord  for  doing  is, 
fixing  it  so  money  won't  buy  happiness.  I'm  now 
enjoying  at  least  a  million  dollars  worth  a  day,  and  it 
would  be  pretty  hard  to  get  used  to  using  but  seventy- 
five  cents  worth. 


Don't  apologize  for  what  you  sell,  or  the  price  placed 
on  it;  that's  just  an  admission  that  you  think  it's  wrong. 

*** 

Many  a  man  politely  agrees  with  you  when  he  don't 
believe  a  cussed  word  you're  saying. 

+** 

Be  patient  with  a  fool  —  that  others  may  be  more 
patient  with  you. 

*** 

Think  more,  earn  more,  and  get  more  out  of  life. 


Too  much  celebrating  has  kept  many  a  man  from 
becoming  celebrated. 


Take  the  "ice"  out  of  Service. 

[XIII] 


to 

No  salesman  ever  won  much  by  winning  an  argument. 

One  time  up  in  the  mountains  of  Kentucky  a  traveler 
met  a  mountaineer  driving  some  razor  back  hogs  down 
the  road  and  stopped  to  ask  him  where  he  was  taking 
them.  The  old  fellow  said  he  was  taking  them  down  in 
the  lowlands  to  turn  them  out  to  fatten.  The  traveler 
said,  "Why,  my  good  man,  down  in  my  country  we  pen 
our  hogs  up,  and  they  fatten  in  so  much  less  time."  The 
old  mountaineer  thought  it  over  in  deep  silence  for  a 
minute  or  two  and  replied,  "What  the  hell's  time  to  a 
'hawg'?" 

I  am  often  reminded  of  that  story  when  some  "noth- 
ing to  do"  friend  calls  on  me  during  business  hours. 

*** 

Many  a  man  applies  for  position  fearing  he  won't  get 
it.  If  he  does,  he  is  afraid  he  can't  hold  it.  He  goes  out 
for  business  fearing  he  won't  find  it.  He  imparts  fear 
to  those  he  calls  upon,  until  they  are  afraid  to  do  busi- 
ness with  him.  The  Sales  Manager's  fear  that  he  has 
picked  a  lemon  is  confirmed  and  the  cashier  writes  the 
goodbye  check. 

Women  continue  to  attend  bargain  sales,  and 
men  keep  on  buying  oil  stock,  but  the  ques- 
tion of  getting  "something  for  nothing"  re- 
mains unanswered. 


If  you  are  not  a  success  where  you  are,  changing 
towns  or  jobs  will  be  of  little  profit  to  you  until  you 
change  your  mental  attitude. 

fXIV] 


li&en  to 

A  little  perspiration  will  help  along  your  inspiration. 

•>•><« 

Worry  breaks  up  more  men  than  work  breaks  down. 


Now  I  know  why  the  Standard  Oil  Company  is  such 
a  wonderful  organization.  They  tell  me  that  every  time 
an  official  retires  or  dies  they  hire  a  new  office  boy. 

•  •  • 

Suppose  Jones  and  Brown  were  to  form  a  partnership 
and  go  into  business.  That  Jones  was  on  the  job  from 
early  morning  until  evening.  Brown  sleeps  away  a 
good  part  of  the  morning,  enjoys  a  late  breakfast,  possi- 
bly a  morning  drive,  lunches  with  friends,  perhaps  goes 
to  a  matinee,  then  shopping,  and  spends  the  day's 
profits.  How  long  do  you  think  such  a  partnership 
would  last?  Team  work  alone  will  win  in  any  partner- 
ship. I  have  always  looked  upon  marriage  as  being  a 
sort  of  a  partnership  affair.  Do  you  get  the  idea? 

A**«A 

ir  V  # 

If  you  haven't  foresight  enough  to  lay  in  your  winter's 
fuel  during  the  summer  months,  it  will  be  just  as  well 
not  to  growl  about  the  price  charged  for  winter  delivery. 

There  are  too  many  salesmen  who  can't  tell  a  pros- 
pect from  a  suspect. 

*** 

Never  dispute  the  woman  who  says  she  has  a  model 
husband.  Webster  says  a  model  is  a  small  imitation 
of  the  real  thing. 

[XV] 


li&en  to  thi 


Let  the  other  fellow  talk  occasionally — you  can't 
learn  much  listening  to  yourself. 

*** 

Were  you  ever  on  a  train  that  had  taken  the 
sidetrack  for  another  to  pass?    As  you  looked 
out  the  window  at  the  other  train  going  by, 
you  felt  as  though  you  too  were  going,  but  a  glance  a 
round  proved  you  were  standing  still.     Now,  call  to 
mind  your   competitors,  or    your    fellow    employees. 
— Are  you  going  ahead,  or  do  you  just  think  you  are? 

*** 

The  sheriff  puts  many  a  salaried  man  on  his  feet — by 
taking  away  his  car. 


I  encountered  a  barber  a  few  days  ago  who  knew 
plenty  about  the  cause  of  strikes  and  the  politics  of  the 
world,  but  he  knew  mighty  little  about  barbering.  I'm 
not  going  there  again. 

*** 

Some  people  have  an  idea  that  to  prove  themselves 
optimists  they  must  go  around  grinning  like  idiots. 

*** 

Nice  things  said  to  you  often  cause  you  to  become 
satisfied  with  yourself  and  whenever  you  get  to  the 
point  where  you  think  you  have  reached  the  degree  of 
perfection,  and  your  employer  is  too  blind  to  see  it, 
take  it  from  me  boy,  you're  backing  up — and,  out. 

[XVI] 


to 

Our  friends  make  us — we  break  ourselves. 

*** 

Love  at  first  sight  may  be  all  right,  but  my  advice  is, 
to  take  a  second  look  before  calling  a  minister. 


Some  employees  will  loaf  on  their  jobs  all  day,  then 
go  home  and  want  to  lick  the  corner  grocer  for  "short 
weighting"  them  on  a  dime's  worth  of  potatoes.  Aint 

it  the  truth? 

*** 


T 


reat  a  dog  with  kindness,  pet  him  a  little,  feed  him 
well  and  he  will  never  leave  you. — P.  S.  This  sys- 
tem often  works  on  husbands. 


Every  time  I  see  a  "Buy  a  Home"  advertisement, 
the  thought  comes  to  me — it  can't  be  done.  You  can 
buy  a  house,  but  a  home  you  must  make.  Someone 
has  said,  a  home  is  a  roof  over  a  good  woman. 


San  Francisco  is  noted  for  its  hilly  streets.  One 
morning  as  I  was  coming  to  my  office  on  a  Sutter  street 
car,  and  like  most  men  silently  thinking,  and  worrying 
about  certain  problems  I  was  to  face  during  the  day,  I 
looked  ahead  at  the  high  hills  our  car  was  going  to  have 
to  climb,  and  I  wondered  how  power  enough  could  be 
generated  to  push  it  over  the  tops  of  them.  As  we  came 
to  them,  it  seemed  as  though  they  had  disappeared, 
and  we  were  traveling  on  level  ground.  That  evening 
as  I  rode  home,  I  tried  to  call  to  mind  some  of  the 
worries  I  carried  down  with  me  that  morning  but  they, 
like  the  hills,  had  disappeared  as  I  came  to  them. 

[xvn] 


to 

Light  in  and  do  what  you  are  paid  to  do,  or  light  out 
and  find  something  else  to  do. 

The  world  is  not  going  to  charge  you  with  your 
failures  until  you  quit  trying. 


Some  traveling  men  get  homesick  when  away  from 
home — others  at  home. 


The  trouble  is,  too  many  employees  just  think  they 
think. 


The  salesman  who  always  offers  some  concession 
makes  a  confession  his  goods  won't  sell,  or  he  can't. 

The  young  man  who  marries  a  "Cosmetic  Jane," 
lives  in  a  one  room  apartment  over  a  convenient 
delicatessen  shop,  and  is  making  monthly  pay- 
ments on  a  tinliz,  finds  it  harder  to  live  on  his  salary 
than  does  the  husband  of  "Sunbonnet  Sue,"  who  has 
a  modest  little  home,  a  garden,  flowers  and  a  happy 
youngster  or  two. 

•!«•>•!• 

Some  men  let  not  their  left  hand  know  their  right 
one  has  written  a  check  to  help  out  a  hungry  family, 
but  they  generally  see  that  the  newspaper  finds  out  all 
about  it. 

*** 

The  most  dangerous  time  of  your  life  has  come  when 
you  begin  to  take  yourself  seriously. 

[XVIII] 


to  this. 


A  rolling  stone  may  gather  no  moss,  but  the  stone 
that  has  gathered  no  moss  had  better  keep  rolling. 


It's  easy  to  pick  out  the  men  as  they  show  up  for 
work  in  the  morning  who  have  had  a  breakfast  table 
scrap  with  their  wives  over  the  morning  paper. — 
And  the  profitable  thing  to  do  is  to  let  them  go  back 
home  and  scrap  it  out. 

You  never  hear  those  who  have  money  in  banks 
speak  of  cashiers  as  being  "marble  hearted  tight  wads." 
It's  always  the  fellow  who's  got  nothing,  and  wants 
something  on  a  note  that's  worth  nothing  who  does  the 
"kicking." 

*** 

You're  going  to  have  to  do  a  lot  more  good  than  bad, 
because  it's  the  bad  that  is  mostly  remembered. 


Have  you  ever  gone  to  bed  wishing  it  was  morning 
and  you  were  ready  to  get  back  on  the  job?  You 
haven't!  Then  you  do  not  love  your  work,  and  you'll 
never  succeed  until  you  do. 


Hold  up  your  head  —  Look  ahead  —  Go  ahead  and, 
get  ahead. 


The  fellow  who  does  just  enough  to  get  by,  never 
earns  enough  to  buy  much. 

fXIX] 


to 

The  fellow  who  knows  most,  says  nothing,  and  lets 
the  man  who  knows  nothing  do  the  talking. 

<•*•» 

What  are  you  going  to  do  tomorrow? 

*** 

You  can  always  tell  by  the  service  a  hotel  employee 
renders  you  how  much  longer  he  is  to  continue  using 
the  tradesman's  entrance  in  coming  to  work. 

**«> 

Nearly  all  the  heads  of  big  city  firms  are  from  small 
towns.    The  fear  of  "I  told  you  so"  has  put  them 
where  they  are.     When  they  left  the  old  home 
town  every  "old  timer"  told  them  of  the  mistake  they 
were  making,  that  they  would  soon  be  back,  sad  and 
sorry.     Rather  than  go  back  a  failure  to  hear  the  "I 
told  you  so"  chorus,  they  worked  like  sons-of-guns  to 
make  good — and,   they   did. —    I   know  what   I   am 
talking  about.     To  no  other  one  thing  do  I  owe  more 
for  whatever  success  I  have  had,  than  the  fear  of  "I  told 

you  so." 

*«* 

When  you  give  a  man  a  title,  give  him  the  authority 
that  goes  with  it. 


Keep  moving  on  the  job;  there  are  lots  of  fellows 
below  you  that  want  to  come  up.  If  you  don't  go  ahead 
they'll  go  around  you. 

*** 

You  can't  borrow  anything  on  what  you  think  you 
are.  It's  the  value  others  place  on  you  that  counts. 

[XX] 


li&en  to 

It's  the  idle  mind  that  worries 


Sticktoativeness.  That's  what  you  must  have  if  you 
expect  to  get  anywhere  in  business. 

*** 

One  day  Thompson  Dunegan,  who  was  quite  a 
character  in  my  home  town,  dashed  into  the  office 
of  Judge  W.  H.  McBrayer,  and  attempted  to 
give,  the  Judge  the  "rush  act"  for  twenty  dollars.    The 
Judge's  answer  to  Thompson's  plea  was  "I  have  long 
since  discontinued  the  making  of  permanent  invest- 
ments."   Whenever  an  oil  stock,  mining  stock  or  any 
other  sort  of  a  "sure  thing"  ten  to  one  hundred  percent 
paying  stock  salesman  calls,  I  make  use  of  the  Judge's 

words  of  wisdom. 

*** 

Every  man  is  a  salesman,  but  that  does  not  mea-n 
every  man  can  sell  everything. 

*** 

When  you  tH!nk  an  unkind  thing  about  someone, 
think  several  times  before  you  say  it. 

*** 

Men  used  to  get  drunk  on  whiskey,  which  was  pretty 
bad,  but  I  saw  a  fellow  a  day  or  two  ago  who  was  drunk 
on  authority,  and  it  wasn't  so  much  different ! 

*+* 

You  are  paid  for  doing  what  you  are  expected  to  do. 
Increases  come  from  doing  more  than  is  expected  of  you. 

[XXI] 


listen  to  this. 


Never  knock  a  competitor.  Next  week  may  find  you 
at  his  door  asking  for  employment. 

*»x« 

The  business  world  is  looking  for  the  man  who  can 
wrap  System  in  Simplicity  and  tie  it  up  with  something 
other  than  red  tape. 


Scientists  tell  us  the  chief  difference  between  man 
and  the  animals  is  that  man  thinks  and  the  animals  do 
not.  Wouldn't  it  be  more  accurate  to  say,  some  men 
are  capable  of  being  trained  to  think? 

Selfishness  in  one  form  or  another  is  responsible  for 
just  about  all  that  is  not  right  in  this  world. 


I  have  met  thousands  of  men  who  enjoy  the  satis- 
faction of  knowing  they  were  first  in  line  when  brains 
were  being  distributed. 


Teach  your  boy  how  to  spend  money.     When  he 
knows  how  to  buy  a  hundred  cents  worth  for  a 
dollar,  you  need  not  worry  about   his  saving. 
Again,  if  he  doesn't  know  how  to  spend  it,  what's  the 
use  of  saving. 

*** 

Nearly  every  employer  remembers  what  Sis  Hopkins 
said  about  "there  ain't  nothing  in  doin'  nothin'  for 
nobody  that  ain't  doin'  nothin'  for  you."  That  is  why 
a  lot  of  employee's  salaries  are  never  increased. 

[XXIII 


to 

If  men  took  as  good  care  of  themselves  as  they  do  of 
their  automobiles  this  would  be  a  generation  of  ath- 
letes. 

*** 

In  Emerson's  day  the  world  might  have  beaten  a 
path  to  the  door  of  the  man  who  made  the  best  mouse- 
trap, but  to-day  it  takes  advertising  enough  to  convince 
the  people  it  is  the  best,  with  street  and  house  number 
given,  and  mention  made  of  parking  space  for  cars 
while  the  trap  is  being  examined. 


Ships  rarely  fail  to  reach  the  places  they  start  for,  but 
their  captains  generally  know  where  they  are  going. 

•>** 

Many  years  ago,  a  fellow  called  my  stepfather  a  liar. 
I  grabbed  a  pitchfork  and  was  in  the  act  of  punc- 
turing him,   when  my  stepfather  seized  the 
pitchfork,  threw  it  aside  and  said,  "What  are  you  try- 
ing to  do?    He  has  but  expressed  his  opinion,  and  his 
opinion  is  not  worth  anything."     Remembering  this 
incident,  and  weighing  the  value  of  personal  opinion,  I 
have  gone  through  life  having  fewer  fights. 


Truth  wins  and  that's  the  truth. 

•!«<»<• 

Suppose  the  dog  were  to  succeed  in  catching  the 
railroad  train,  he  wouldn't  know  what  to  do  with  it. 
It  is  quite  possible  your  employer  has  not  seriously 
considered  you  for  the  position  you  think  you  are  en- 
titled to  for  the  same  good  reason. 

[xxra] 


to 

You've  got  to  be  a  straight  shooter  if  you  expect  to 

hit  the  mark. 

«•** 

'Jever  notice  it's  always  some  fellow  wearing  a  faded 
out  toupee  who  makes  uncalled  for  remarks  about  some 
woman  wearing  false  hair? 

<•** 

It's  often  the  truck  a  fellow  drinks  that  causes  the 

limousine  accident. 

•:••:«# 

Ben  Mills,  who  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  the 
"Mahogany  Livery  Stable  Adonis"  of  Central  Ken- 
tucky, came  to  me  one  day  and  said,  "Mistah  Coleman, 
I  wish't  you'd  please  suh,  give  me  a  few  big  words." 
I  asked — "Big  words — what  do  you  want  them  to 
mean?"  His  answer  was,  "Don't  make  no  difference 
what  they  mean.  I'm  going  to  a  strawberry  festival 
tonight  and  them  niggahs  won't  know,  nohow.  I 
jist  wants  to  show  'em  I've  got  an  education."  When 
I  hear  a  fellow  with  a  third  grade  schooling  springing 
Latin  phrases,  I  am  always  reminded  of  Ben. 

*** 

You  are  not  through  work  when  you  have  done  that 
you  were  told  to  do,  but  when  all  is  done  there  was  to  do. 

+** 

The  "echo"  you  hear  when  "knocking"  a  competitor 
is  the  sound  of  nails  being  driven  into  your  own  coffin. 

*•:•* 

Pretty  soon  the  1:30  A.  M.  Radio  will  broadcast, 
"Has  anybody  seen  my  husband?" 

[XXIV] 


to 

It's  too  durn  bad  that  men  are  not  what  their  wives 
and  photographers  make  them  out  to  be. 

*** 

A  New  York  man  refused  to  buy  my  book  "Take  It 
From  Me"  for  his  employees  because  ten  of  the 
248  paragraphs  did  not  appeal  to  HIM.     I  am 
wondering  if  there  is  a  man  on  earth  who  can  say  248 
things  that  would  please  any  one  person. 

*** 

So  long  as  you  are  well  dressed,  carry  your  head  up, 
walk  erect  and  fast,  wear  a  pleasant  smile,  choose  well 
your  associates  and  don't  talk  too  durn  much,  the 
world  will  invoice  you  at  all  you  are  worth. 

*** 

When  you  get  an  order  without  an  effort  it  is  always 
a  good  idea  to  consult  Mr.  Dun  or  Mr.  Bradstreet  be- 
fore making  shipment. 


Put  smiles  in  your  letters  and  in  your  voice  when 
phoning,  then  cover  your  face  with  one. 

*** 

The  fellow  that  turns  over  in  bed  when  the  alarm 
goes  off  and  sleeps  away  the  thirty  minutes  he  should 
make  use  of  in  refreshing  himself  with  a  bath,  a  shave, 
shoe  shine,  should  for  the  good  of  his  firm  permanently 

remain  in  bed. 

*** 

Musicians,  singers  and  vaudeville  performers  hold 
back  their  best  for  the  "come  back"  but,  the  average 
salesman  is  not  so  wise. 

[XXV] 


to  this. 


Stop,  look  and  listen  when  you  come  to  a  railroad 
track,  but  quit  doing  it  when  you  come  to  work. 

_•  .•  A 
•    *   * 

Every  responsibility  is  an  opportunity. 


Never  accept  favors  you  can't  return.    If  your  in- 
come will  not  permit  your  lunching  at  the  better 
cafes,  then  do  not  accept  invitations  from  others 
to  lunch  in  such  places.    Do  not  become  a  moocher. 
I  know  a  young  man  who  had  a  wonderful  opportunity 
with  a  big  concern  until  he  became  a  "lunch  moocher" 
and  ruined  himself. 


A  real  boss  is  a  man  it's  hard  to  tell  from  the  fellows 
that  are  working  for  him. 

•>•>•!• 

Nearly  every  salesman  in  "making  a  town,"  goes 
first  to  the  easiest  man  of  all  to  sell,  then  the  next 
easiest,  etc.,  leaving  the  "hard-nuts-to-crack"  for  the 
last.  As  a  result,  they  leave  town  wearing  a  grouch  that 
often  costs  them  the  business  of  the  "easiest  man  to 
sell"  in  the  next  town.  If  they  would  but  reverse  things 
they  would  wear  a  smile  out  of  every  town  and  be  in 
a  better  frame  of  mind  to  sell  the  "hard  customers"  in 
the  next. 

*** 

An  Indian  never  cracks  a  smile  at  the  things  most 
pleasing  and  amusing  to  us,  but  when  misfortune  comes, 
he  laughs.  Be  an  Indian. 

[XXVI] 


to 

I  hate  to  have  some  people  give  me  their  advice, 
when  I  know  how  bad  they  need  it. 


When  you  have  learned  how  to  be  friendly  with  your 
employees  without  having  them  become  familiar  with 
you — you're  a  real  boss. 

*** 

Men  who  have  any  considerable  amount  of  money 
never  have  much  to  say  about  it.  Same  rule  applies  to 
those  having  religion. 


When   I   see   stenographers    and    switchboard 
operators  on  their  way  to  work  with  library 
books    and   sewing   baskets,    I   can    better 
understand  why  Central  gives  the  signal,  "they  don't 


answer." 


Do  what  is  to  be  done,  whether  it  be  in  your  particu- 
lar department  or  not.  Your  success  and  salary  de- 
pends entirely  upon  the  success  and  profits  of  the  firm. 


There  are  too  dawgone  many  men  who  think  that 
their  praying  to  God  on  Sunday  forgives  them  for  prey- 
ing upon  their  fellow  men  the  rest  of  the  week. 


While  figuring  you  are  entitled  to  a  larger  salary  than 
you  are  getting  it  is  well  to  remember  that  figures 
often  lie. 


to 

Knock  the  "  't"  off  of  can't 

#•*••!• 

If  you  think  it  is  right  to  do  a  thing,  why  go  ahead 
and  do  it  without  asking  so  many  questions.  A  fellow 
asked  a  negro  porter  on  a  train  if  he  could  smoke  in  the 
car.  Displaying  much  authority  the  negro  answered, 
"No,  sah — I'll  say  you  can't."  Looking  around,  he 
noticed  some  other  men  smoking  and  he  asked,  "Well, 
why  is  it  those  men  are  smoking?"  The  negro  ans- 
wered, "Coz  they  didn't  ask  me — that's  why." 

•:«:•* 

Never  cuss  a  hundred  dollar  a  month  man  for  not 
doing  a  thing  just  as  you  would  have  done  it. 
If  he  knew  as  much  as  you,  you  might  be  work- 
ing for  him. 


When  I  see  a  poor  boob  leaving  a  good  job  to  go  in 
business  for  himself  on  a  "shoestring,"  I  can't  help  but 
shed  a  sympathetic  tear. 


Before  you  go  to  work  in  the  morning,  look  yourself 
over  carefully  that  you  may  not  be  overlooked  by  those 
who  are  to  look  you  over  all  day. 

<;••>«£> 

Why  not  attach  alimony  coupons  to  marriage  licenses 
and  do  away  with  tiresome  court  proceedings? 


Go  into  Executive  Session  with  yourself  every  day. 
It  will  do  you  good. 

[XXVm] 


li&en  to  th 


If  you  must  say  "whats-the-use,"  get  your  hat  and 
say  it  to  the  cashier  on  your  way  out. 

*** 

Ten  minutes  spent  in  a  barber  shop  listening  to  men 
tell  barbers  just  how  to  shape  their  hair  and  comb  it, 
will  convince  you  there  is  no  such  a  thing  as  a  "fussy 

old  maid." 

**•> 

Somehow  I  always  thought  mighty  well  of  that  little 
piece  of  Western  philosophy  "live  every  day  so 
you  can  look  any  damn  man  in  the  eye  and  tell  him 
to  go  to  hell." 

*** 

If  you  want  to  find  the  best  story  teller  and  conver- 
sationalist in  any  office,  look  for  the  fellow  behind  the 
desk  that  is  piled  the  highest  with  unfinished  work. 


When  you  hear  of  a  woman  being  jealous  of  her  hus- 
band's stenographer,  perhaps  you'll  find  she  was  his 
stenographer  when  he  made  the  discovery  his  first 
wife  "did  not  understand  him." 


You  are  what  others  tell  others  you  are,  and  your 
business  is  just  what  others  tell  others  it  is.  —  P.  S. 
Read  that  one  again. 

«•** 

If  you  are  out  of  a  position,  it  is  your  personal  ap- 
pearance that  is  going  to  have  much  to  do  with  your 
securing  one.  And,  just  as  much  to  do  with  your  hold- 
ing it.  Dress  well,  it  pays. 

[XXIX] 


listen  to  this 


When  you  have  passed  Selfishness,  Untruthfulness, 
Jealousy  and  Egotism,  then  Success  is  the  next  station. 

•  •  • 

•  *  * 

Have  you  ever  noticed  how  much  more  money  some 
fellows  will  give  to  charity  when  they  can  stand  up 
before  a  crowd  and  yell  out  the  amount  than  when  the 
appeal  comes  to  them  by  mail  and  there  is  nobody 
around  but  God  and  them  when  the  amount  is  filled 
in?  And  they  take  a  chance  God  is  not  looking. 

What  you  once  were  does  not  interest  your  employer 
one  bit.  It's  what  you  are  today,  and  what  you're 
going  to  be  tomorrow  that  counts. 

When  you  go  to  bat  make  up  your  mind  you  are  going 
to  make  a  home  run,  not  a  bunt.  Be  a  "home  run" 
salesman,  not  a  "bunting"  order  taker. 

*** 

Some  salesmen  try  to  make  a  thirty  minute  solici- 
tation in  five  minutes,  and  some  merchants  pile  a 
little  of  everything  they  have  in  stock  in  a  show 
window.    As  a  result  the  buyer  is  so  confused  the  sale 
is  lost. 

•  •  • 

% • .  % 

Quit  grouching  around.  If  you  are  not  satisfied  with 
your  job,  quit. 

*** 

The  fellow  you  hear  complaining  to  everyone  around 
the  office  about  not  getting  an  increase,  knows  durn 
well  he  would  get  fired  for  not  earning  what  he  is  getting 
were  he  to  say  anything  to  his  employer. 

[XXX] 


to  this. 


Now  that  it's  all  over,  what  did  you  really  do  yester- 
day that's  worth  mentioning. 

*** 

When  a  fellow  runs  across  the  street,  stumbles, 
falls  in  front  of  a  car  and  is  killed,  the  evidence  at  the 
inquest  usually  shows  it  made  durn  little  difference 
which  side  of  the  street  he  was  on. 

********* 
%>*%** 

If  a  salesman  could  only  make  the  arguments  to 
prospects  during  the  day  he  thinks  of  at  night  after  he 
has  gone  to  bed — Eh! 

*** 

Life  insurance  is  the  salaried  man's  one  best  bet. 
Don't  figure  how  little  you  can  carry  but,  how  much. 

Of  course  it  is  easy  for  you  to  see  how  your  boss 
could  double  the  business  by  using  your  judgment  in 
the  place  of  his  own,  but  he  has  likely  taken  into  con- 
sideration the  fact  you  have  had  the  exclusive  use  of 
your  judgment  all  your  life,  and  it's  got  you  nothing. 

*** 

""T  7"ou  can't  buy  confidence  and  respect  with  pro- 
Y     fanity  and  vulgarity,"  says  Coleman  Cox  in 
•*•     "Take  It  From  Me."    He  ought  to  say  this  in 
the  smoking  compartments  of  Pullman  cars.    (Rotary- 
grams,   Beaumont,   Texas.)      A  dawgone   good  sug- 
gestion. 

The  man  who  does  not  want  to  find  out  the  facts 
does  not  want  the  facts  found  out. 

[XXXI] 


li&cn  to 


The  fellow  who  makes  his  own  way,  generally  has 
his  own  way. 

*** 

A  firm  whose  store  front  has  not  been  painted  since 
the  building  was  erected  will  spend  thousands  of  dollars 
a  year  to  have  their  name  painted  on  "dead  walls"  in 
the  city,  and  barns  in  the  country.  Their  delivery 
trucks  that  are  seen  by  thousands  and  thousands  of 
people  every  day,  as  they  travel  the  streets,  are  never 
painted  from  the  time  they  are  built  until  the  junk  man 
gets  them. 


Do  you  remember  the  old  time  travelling  salesman 
whose  side-line  used  to  be  "here's  a  good  one  I  heard 
the  other  day."  I  haven't  seen  one  of  those  fellows 
since  the  Eighteenth  Amendment  became  operative. 

*** 

The  more  a  man  concentrates  on  his  own  business 
the  less  he  knows  about  the  other  fellow's  business. 
If  I  wanted  to  buy  oil  or  mining  stock  at  a  bargain  I 
would  call  on  our  most  successful  attorneys  and  doc- 
tors. .j..:.* 

A  young  man  came  in  to  see  me  the  other  day  and 
said  he  was  looking  for  a  position.  I  admired  his 
honesty.  Most  of  them  say  they  are  looking  for 

work. 

<••:•* 

An  interesting  talker  is  one  who  talks  about  some- 
thing the  other  fellow  is  interested  in. 

*** 
Don't  grin  —  smile. 

[XXXII] 


li&en  to  th 


No  corporation  has  ever  grown  to  be  big  enough,  and 
no  labor  organization  has  ever  become  strong  enough 
to  succeed  without  the  good-will  of  the  people. 

*** 

As  an  employee  I  never  asked  for  a  testimonial  letter, 
and  I  have  always  declined  to  read  those  offered  me  by 
men  seeking  positions.  Some  one  was  telling  me  about 
an  employer  who  was  asked  by  a  man  he  had  just  dis- 
charged for  a  letter  of  recommendation.  Turning  to 
his  stenographer  he  dictated  the  following: — "The 
bearer  has  worked  for  me  one  week,  and  I  am  satisfied 
that  is  long  enough." 

*** 

When  you  do  your  work  better  than  anyone  else  has 
ever  done  it,  you  will  hold  your  job  longer  than  anyone 

else. 

*** 

We  may  have  another  war  sometime  and  if  we  do  I 
want  the  front  ranks  made  up  of  the  fellows  who  greet 
me  with  the  stereotyped  "wha-diy'kno." 

*** 

You  have  likely  met  the  man  who  has  nice  things  to 
say  everywhere  except  at  home,  and  who  is  polite 
to  all  women  except  his  wife.     You  know  the 
fellow  I  mean.    The  one  who  gets  in  an  elevator  with 
his  wife  and  keeps  his   hat    on    until    some    painted 

dame  gets  in. 

*** 

Habit  is  a  great  thing  if  properly  directed.  Polite- 
ness, gentleness,  honesty  and  veracity  may  be  our  habits 
if  we  will  practise  these  virtues  long  enough. 

rxxxini 


to  this. 


They  were  two  well  dressed,  and  rather  attractive 
women.  Many  turned  to  take  a  second  look  as  they 
entered  the  cafe.  They  were  seated  next  table  to  me 
and  their  conversation  started  with,  "  'N'  I  sez  to  'im, 
my  Gawd  man,  put  on  a  new  record,  that  one's  cracked." 


A  boy  who  from  his  earliest  remembrance  has  been 
told  that  he  will  be  whipped  when  his  father  returns 
from  work  is  not  very  likely  to  become  chummy  with 
his  dad. 

*** 

Don't  complain  because  everyone  does  not  agree 
with  you.    After  having  used  a  dictaphone  for  a 
number  of  years  I  am  surprised  when  I  try  to 
pen  a  letter  to  see  how  much  Mr.  Webster  and  I  differ 
on  spelling. 


When  you  repeat  that  which  someone  has  told  you, 
knowing  it  to  be  untrue,  the  Recording  Angel  charges 
you  up  with  another  lie. 


A  fellow  rode  into  a  little  mountain  town  down  in 
Kentucky  and  made  it  known  that  he  was  looking  for 
trouble.  The  verdict  of  the  coroner's  jury  read  "Plain 
case  of  suicide."  I  met  a  young  man  sometime  ago  who 
was  telling  me  how  little  his  manager  knew  about  run- 
ning the  business.  I  saw  him  again  yesterday  and  he 
told  me  he  had  "resigned"  his  position. 

[  XXXIV  ] 


li&en  to  this. 


v 

The  big  advertisements  some  concerns  run  every  day 
offering  their  merchandise  at  cost  of  course  attract  my 
attention,  and  they  quite  often  create  in  me  a  desire  for 
some  of  the  advertised  articles.  When  they  do  I 
usually  go  to  some  store  I  have  confidence  in  and  make 
my  purchases. 

*** 

I  suppose  it  is  just  as  well  the  newspapers  only  print 
the  names  of  those  "held  up"  by  footpads,  and  not 
those  that  are  being  held  up  by  friends  and  rela- 
tives. 

Did  you  ever  have  one  of  those  "lead  pencil  fortune 
makers"  come  to  you  with  a  scheme  to  make  a  lot  of 
money  out  of  a  business  he  is  engaged  in.  The  plot 
usually  calls  for  its  being  made  out  of  some  other  fellow's 
business — about  which  he  knows  nothing. 


In  naming  a  product  you  expect  to  advertise  it  is  well 
to  select  some  name  that  offers  a  suggestion.  As  exam- 
ple: "Uneeda  Biscuit"  or  "Dodge  Automobiles." 

«;••;*•;. 

Three  times  the  man  in  the  box  office  explained  the 
exact  location  of  the  seat.     Then  with  gloved 
hands  she  started  in  to  dig  a  dollar  and  sixty -five 
cents  in  small  change  out  of  a  hand-bag  filled  with  an 
afternoon's  accumulation  of  dressgoods  and  embroidery 
samples.    In  the  meantime  twenty-seven  people  stand- 
ing in  line  lost  more  religion  than  a  dozen  ministers 
could  preach  back  into  them  in  that  many  Sundays. 

[XXXV] 


li&cn  to  th 


A  Chinaman  has  the  right  idea.  He  pays  the  doctor 
while  well,  and  stops  his  pay  when  sick.  Why  wouldn't 
it  be  a  good  thing  to  stop  the  pay  of  strike  leaders  as 
soon  as  they  call  a  strike. 


*** 


Anyone  can  tell  you  something  you  don't  know.    Ask 
questions — then  listen. 


**+ 

I  could  tell  those  younger  in  sales  than  I,  hundreds 
of  tricks  and  schemes  I  have  used  in  getting  in  to  see 
buyers,  but  none  of  them  ever  got  me  any  business. 

*** 

The  first  fellows  who  should  be  jailed  for  carrying 
concealed  deadly  weapons  are  those  going  around  with 
"hammers." 

*** 

"Staying  with  it"  has  often  brought  success  to  men 
not  overly  burdened  with  the  qualifications  we  like  to 
think  successful  men  should  have. 


Every  woman  should  take  a  vacation  each  year  away 
from  her  family.  By  her  absence  her  family  will 
measure  her  full  worth. 


The  difference  in  value  between  a  kicking  man  and 
a  kicking  mule  is  not  very  much — and  neither  one  is  an 
asset  to  any  business. 

[XXXVI] 


to 

There  is  no  substitute  for  Truth. 


*** 


An  incompetent  man  who  through  influence  or  favor 
has  landed  a  good  paying  position  which  he  can't  fill, 
is  about  as  well  off  as  the  negro  who  had  the  bear  by 
the  tail. 


We  frequently  try  to  blame  the  National  Adminis- 
tration, the  tariff  or  the  late  war  for  a  condition  of 
affairs  which  down  in  our  heart  we  know  devilish  well 
was  brought  about  by  ourselves. 


Just  about  the  busiest  thing  in  the  world  is  a  hen 
scratching  for  one  chick.  We  must  give  the  hen  credit 
for  not  letting  up  on  her  energy  because  the  chick  crop 
was  not  what  she  expected. 


•>** 


Write  every  business  letter  as  though  it  were  a 
telegram  and  you  were  to  pay  for  the  sending  of  it. 


Don't  close  your  eyes  tonight  until  you  can  call  to 
mind  some  good  you  have  done  today. 


*** 


The  advice  of  men  who  have  made  fortunes  is  worth 
more  to  you  than  that  of  those  who  tell  fortunes. 

[XXXVH] 


to  this 


More  money  —  more  money  !  Not  that  they  have  any 
need  of  it,  but  to  possess  it,  do  we  see  men  giving  up 
those  things  money  can't  buy.  As  Puck  says,  "What 
fools  these  mortals  be." 

*** 

Bachelors  are  said  to  be  more  conceited  than  married 
men.  Should  you  be  interested  in  knowing  why  such 
is  true  I  would  advise  your  "listening  in"  on  a  bridge 
party  some  evening  when  a  dozen  ninety  pound  wives 
are  reducing  their  two  hundred  pound  husbands  to  boys' 
size. 


Too  many  men  looking  for  work  quit  looking  for  it 
when  they  find  jobs. 

*•>* 

A  boy  is  never  convinced  that  his  balloon  is  as  large 
as  he  can  make  it  until  it  bursts.  It  is  too  bad  he  for- 
gets his  balloon  experience  when  he  grows  to  be  a  man 
and  gets  into  business. 

•:•** 

When  a  prospect  says  "No,"  to  a  salesman's  solici- 
tation there's  generally  a  reason  —  sometimes  it  is  the 
salesman. 

Clothes  may  not  entirely  make  the  man,  but  they  go 
a  long  ways  toward  making  first  impressions  and  that 
counts  quite  a  lot. 


That's  all — Pass  it  along. 

Thanks. 

[XXXVIII 


If  you  have  enjoyed  "Listen  to  This",  I  am  sure 
you  will  enjoy  "Take  it  from  Me"  another  of  my 
books.  In  size  and  style  it  is  much  like  "Listen  to 
This."  The  price  is  but  twenty-five  cents  and  I 
guarantee  satisfaction  or  money  back.  Thousands 
have  read  it  and  boost  it. 

COLEMAN  COX 


UCS8   LIBRARY. 


MADE  IN  U.  S.  A. 
BY  SUNSET  PRESS,  SAN  FRANCISCO 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000  609  926     1 


